About the farm

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About the farm

Dogpatch Urban Gardens (D.U.G.) is a small-scale market garden growing produce naturally with organic principles, and sustainable methods, on ¼ an acre of land. We never use any form of synthetic chemicals on the plot including artificial pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.

WHO WE ARE – A family run farm passionate about health, community, education, and the environment.

WHAT WE DO – Cultivate fresh, nutritious, and flavorful produce in the Northern Beaverdale area.

HOW WE DO IT – Use sustainable, organic, and biointensive farm methods to produce high yields on a minimal amount of land while maintaining the integrity of the environment.

WHAT WE VALUE

·Health/Nutrition

·Building community

·Environmental Conservation

·Education

·Family Values – hard work, resilience, commitment, dependability

·Organic principles (No use of synthetic chemicals)

·Enhancing soil quality

·Food Safety

·Professionalism

The farm is built on a foundation which the successful market gardener, Jean Martin Fortier states the best, “Grow better, not bigger.” Small-scale farming has its advantages because it allows for me to “know my crops.” Since the land is small I am constantly interacting with every square foot of the crops and I can recognize any potential issues involving the soil, pests, weeds, etc. Growing on a smaller scale also allows me to focus on creating high quality and fresh produce. I am able to harvest within just days of distribution!

Imagine a farm that not only provides you and your family with healthy, delicious, and local food but a farm that does all this while positively interacting with the environment. Hopefully the visual you created in your mind is that of Dogpatch Urban Gardens. I can’t wait to grow for you and with you!

About the farm"Her"

About the farm"Her"

Jenny started Dogpatch Urban Gardens in the fall of 2015 with the help of her husband, Eric Quiner. The main reasons for starting the farm are to promote health/nutrition, enhance community, environmental conservation as well as to instill family values for their sons.

Jenny is a Des Moines native and loves the Des Moines community. Her husband Eric is also a Des Moines native, and they have three sons: Oliver, Walter, and Lewis.

Jenny graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Health Promotions. She has always been very health minded and this is one of the guiding principles behind the creation of the farm.

Eric and Jenny relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado in August of 2008. They moved when the economy had crashed and the job market was very difficult. While searching for jobs, they discovered a farmer in Greenly, CO looking for laborers, so Jenny and Eric both helped on the farm. This experience was very impactful for Jenny and opened her eyes to the world of small scale farming.

While in Colorado, Jenny earned of Master’s of Education (science content area) from Colorado State University. After graduating from CSU, she was offered a job to teach science at her alma-mater Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. Jenny and Eric moved back home to Des Moines in 2010.

Jenny’s main scientific teaching focus is in Life Sciences with an emphasis in Biology. During the 2014-2015 school year Jenny had the great opportunity of teaching Environmental Science. This course allowed her to dive into the food system more deeply and allowed her to see what she can do to help enhance the way food is provided to the community. She wants the farm to help make a positive impact on the environment by decreasing use of fossil fuels in food production and delivery, conserving resources, building up soil rather than degrading, and encourage biodiversity.

Jenny could not be more excited about starting this farming adventure! She envisions her sons growing up on the farm and being integrated in the farm operation in years to come. The idea of her kids “knowing where their food comes from” is a very important and exciting thing for her kids to experience.

Recipes

Here are some of our favorite ways to prepare products from DUG. We always love hearing about how our customers use our product as well, so please send us recipes and photos that you recommend!

Recipes

Here are some of our favorite ways to prepare products from DUG. We always love hearing about how our customers use our product as well, so please send us recipes and photos that you recommend!

Kale Pesto (adapted from The Splendid Table)

1 bunch kale, stems removed (about 4 cups roughly chopped leaves)

5 garlic cloves

1 cup sunflower seeds

½ cup sunflower microgreens

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

½ cup olive oil, plus more for the container

Juice from 1 lemon

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a food processor & process until mixture is smooth.

You may need to add water to get desired consistency.

Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

The pesto will stay fresh (in a sealed container) in the fridge for about 5 days. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for about a month.

Layer chips with taco meat, cheese, and black olives and place in oven to broil.

After broiling, top the chips with microgreens, salsa, jalapeños, and Greek yogurt

Kefir Smoothie (Adapted from Karen Q)

1 banana (frozen or fresh)

1 tsp chia seed

1 Cup Kefir milk

10 sprigs of sunflower shoot microgreens

2 tbs peanut butter

Vanilla Greek yogurt (optional)

Place in blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.

Pear & Goat Cheese Pizza

Pizza Crust

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Pear

¼ Cup Walnuts

1 package Goat Cheese

½ cup Microgreens - arugula

Evenly coat a thin layer of olive oil over the pizza crust.

Thinly slice the pear and distribute on the pizza crust.

Sprinkle with goat cheese, walnuts, red onion.

Bake pizza according to directions on pizza crust.

When finished baking top with arugula microgreens.

Fruit and Cheese Plate

There are so many options with how you can put this type of thing together. This is a great idea for an afternoon snack or as an appetizer for a dinner party. The options of which fruits and cheeses you choose are endless, but you can definitely spice up the decor by adding some microgreens.